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| Britten - Sacred and Profane | 
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| Creators: Polyphony, Stephen Layton
Label: Hyperion
Category: Music
List Price: £15.99
Buy Used: £7.50
You Save: £8.49 (53%)
New (18) from £8.74
Sales Rank: 108144
Media: Audio CD
Running Time: 61 minutes
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
UPC: 034571171401
EAN: 0034571171401
ASIN: B00005A7LW
Release Date: February 26, 2001
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | Five Flower Song | | • | A.M.D.G. | | • | A Hymn To The Virgin | | • | Choral Dances from "Gloriana" | | • | Chorale After An Old French Carol | | • | Sacred And Profane |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
This disc containing the major part of Britten's mixed-voice a cappella repertoire (the Hymn to St Cecilia is the only substantial omission) could hardly be a better showcase for the virtuosity of Polyphony and the increasingly assured talents of Stephen Layton. There's every sign that this music is particularly well "sung in": the phrasing--whether rapid, rat-a-tat or relaxed--carries such a sense of rightness and unanimity, always knowing precisely where it's going; the vowel colours are nothing if not alluring; and, most noticeable of all, the blend and balance of voices is exceptional. The excellent recorded sound saps all the benefit from the airy spaces of the Temple Church in London without ever becoming swimmy. The works span a period of some 45 years of Britten's life, from the ever-popular childhood A Hymn to the Virgin to the often fiendishly tricky Sacred and Profane based on that intriguing mix of eight medieval lyrics. The "Choral Dances" from the opera Gloriana, recalling the celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, are ravishingly sung. But to my mind there is nothing better here than the performance of AMDG, where Polyphony gives the Gerard Manley Hopkins poetry all the passionate commitment it demands. --Andrew Green
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